Economy: Employment
Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada.
Vital Signs Data
Updated March 28, 2024
Labour force
The key indicators which can help assess the health of the local labour force include:
- Unemployment rate
- Participation rate
- Population of key working age ranges
- Labour force availability
Barriers to employment encompass various challenges such as inadequate housing, clothing, or food, limited proficiency in English, a criminal history, lack of education, lack of applicable work experience, lack of credentials, lack of reliable transportation, and/or difficulties associated with childcare arrangements.
The 2021 labour force census data was affected by pandemic restrictions. Mass migrations of remote workers from large urban centres to rural areas boosted the local construction industry, and increased employment numbers in professional industries (see industry sectors )
| Characteristic | PEC 2006 | PEC 2011 | PEC 2016 | PEC 2021 | Ontario 2021 | PEC 2023 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of businesses with employees | -- | -- | 840 | 931 | -- | 1,079 | Stats Can Business Counts |
| Number of jobs | -- | -- | 8,438 (2015) | -- | 8,512 (2022) | OMAFRA Lightcast | |
| Number of businesses without employees | -- | -- | 1,934 | 2,051 | -- | 2,592 | Stats Can Business Counts |
| In the labour force | 12,570 | 11,890 | 11,530 | 11,350 | -- | Stats Can census | |
| Worked full year, full time | -- | -- | 28.5% | 27.3% | 33.8% | Stats Can census | |
| Worked part-time | -- | -- | 30.2% | 25.6% | 28.3% | Stats Can census | |
| Employment Status: employee | -- | 83.6% | 78.6% | 73.2% | 82.6% | Stats Can census | |
| Employment Status: self-employed | -- | 16.4% | 20.3% | 25.5% | 14.6% | Stats Can census | |
| Labour participation rate | 59% | 55% | 54.2% | 51.1% | 62.8% | Stats Can census | |
| Unemployment rate | 6% | 8.4% | 5.7% | 9.2% | 12.2% | Stats Can census | |
| Employment rate (ages 15+) | 55.4% | 50.4% | 51.2% | 46.4% | 55.1% | Stats Can census |
Labour shortages
In the midst of labour shortages and historically low unemployment, Canada faces record retirements from an aging labour force. More than 1 in 5 persons (21.8%) are close to retirement and from 2016 to 2021, the number of children younger than 15 grew six times slower than the number of persons aged 65 and older. (The Daily, Stats Canada 2022-04-27)
Prince Edward County’s labour shortages are further impacted by a declining percentage of working age population and lack of affordable housing. The key population for workforce development, individuals age 25 to 54, decreased by 1.5% (2016 to 2021).
The pandemic has exacerbated the issue especially in the hospitality industry which has seen a mass exodus as workers upskilled or switched to other jobs.
Work Local Campaign
The Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with local technology workforce scheduling app “Shift Yourself” launched a “Work Local” campaign in September 2021. The technology provides a shared scheduling system between employers and employees, to support labour shortages affecting businesses. During the busy season and the weeks leading up to it, businesses struggle to meet growing demand, specifically in the service industry due to severe staffing shortages. Many positions are seasonal and/or part-time in nature with schedules changing regularly to meet shifting demand.
Learn more about Work Local.
Employment Opportunities
From 2016 to 2022, these PEC industries produced 401 new jobs:
- Construction of buildings (67)
- Administrative and support services (59)
- Specialty trade contractors (52)
- Federal government public administration (50)
- Ambulatory health care services (44)
- General merchandise stores (34)
- Professional, scientific and technical services (29)
- Beverage product manufacturing (26)
- Heavy and civil engineering construction (24)
- Miscellaneous store retailers (17)
Find jobs in demand in PEC’s economic region (select Ontario Eastern Region)
Skilled trades
By 2025, one in five jobs will be in the trades. In 2016, nearly one in three journeypersons in Ontario were aged 55 years or older, indicating that the need to replace retiring workers is elevated in the trades. (Powering Up: Preparing Canada’s skilled trades for a post-pandemic economy)
- The most severe shortages will be among trades critical to the coming infrastructure boom, including industrial mechanics, welders and boilermakers.
- 25% of Canada’s 4 million tradespeople will need to upgrade their skills within five years amid significant digital disruption.
- Women made up just 11% of new registrants for apprenticeship programs in 2019 and continue to represent less than 4% of workers in the most in-demand trades. Immigrants comprised 8.7% of apprentices despite accounting for more than 20% of the population.
- In January 2022, the Ontario government launched Skilled Trades Ontario, a new Crown agency, to improve trades training and simplify services.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
SDG 8. Ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth to drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards.
Also see …
Sustainable Economy
Key economic assets and challenges. Achieving greater job…
Income
Income indicators, trends, low income, dependence on government…
Employment
Workforce; employment opportunities; labour shortages; unemployment and labour…
Poverty Reduction
Empowerment and capacity-building initiatives in Prince Edward County…
Economy: Collaborative Impact
THRIVE PEC is a community-led development of a…
Economy – Actions
Economy: Advancing well-being together
